Medford man shot while visiting family in Mexico

A Medford man was shot and killed July 18 while visiting his parents in a small town in Mexico.

By Anita Burke

A Medford man was shot and killed July 18 while visiting his parents in a small town in Mexico.

Rodolfo "Juan" Flores Cruz, 56, was gunned down in the doorway of his parents' home in the village of Corralejo de Hidalgo, near Pénjamo, Guanajuato, according to news reports out of Mexico and an obituary his family placed in the Mail Tribune.

A newspaper serving southwestern Mexico, Periodico El Sur, reported that Flores had answered a knock at the door at about 7 a.m. Sunday, then his father heard multiple gunshots and a car speeding away. When the older man went to see what had happened, he found his son lying dead.

He expressed shock at the killing, saying he had no problems with anyone in the community and his son was just visiting, the Mexican paper reported.

Authorities said Flores was shot four times and other shots hit the side of the house. Six shells from a .38-caliber weapon were found scattered on the ground, the Mexican paper reported.

Flores came to Oregon in 1971 and married Sharla Jean Pugh in 1975. They had two daughters, Jackie and Stephanie Flores, and two sons, Michael and Rodolfo Jr., and now have five granddaughters.

Flores worked at Boise Cascade for nearly 33 years and attended Applegate Christian Fellowship. His family said he enjoyed hunting, fishing and spending time with his grandchildren.

The Mexican state of Guanajuato hasn't been as hard hit by violence as some parts of Mexico, the U.S. State Department reports. However, the neighboring state of Michoacán has seen violent attacks involving drug cartels and officials have advised U.S. citizens to avoid unnecessary travel there. Shootouts have also happened in Jalisco and Colima, other states in the region.